Daily Archives: 7 de March de 2018

Six human rights and political activists face prison terms for a peaceful protest in support of a human rights lawyer on trial, Human Rights Watch said today. Algerian authorities should drop all charges against the six before their new trial session, scheduled for March 20, 2018.

Authorities arrested the six on July 13, 2016, as they prepared to protest at the Ghardaia courthouse, where the lawyer, Salah Dabouz, had a court hearing. They were released the same day but were summoned in October 2017 for a hearing and charged with “incitement to a gathering of an unarmed nature,” insulting a public official, and refusing to abide by a law or decree. They are free pending trial.

“Prosecuting people who hold up banners calling for justice and respect for human rights before a courthouse is a telling illustration of Algeria’s intolerance of any public display of dissent,” said Sarah Leah Whitson, Middle East and North Africa director of Human Rights Watch.

An investigating judge summoned Dabouz on June 13, 2016, to answer accusations that he had insulted state institutions and smuggled a computer with a camera into Ghardaia prison. The court had kept him under judicial supervision from July 2016 until March 2017. Dabouz has not subsequently been brought to trial on these accusations.

The Philippines‘ embattled Supreme Court chief justice urged Filipinos on Wednesday to stand up against authoritarianism and threats to human rights, in an indirect criticism of the country’s volatile leader, who has long called for her removal.

Chief Justice Maria Lourdes Sereno is facing two ouster attempts, including by President Rodrigo Duterte’s administration, whose legal counsel asked the Supreme Court to expel her for allegedly not declaring her assets in the past, making her ineligible to be the country’s judicial leader.

The justice committee of the House of Representatives, which is dominated by Duterte’s allies, is expected to vote Thursday to uphold an impeachment case against Sereno, who has gone on indefinite leave. Thirteen justices of the 15-member court have backed Sereno’s leave amid the strife lashing the judiciary.

“The current state of the nation is one where perceived enemies of the dominant order are considered fair game for harassment, intimidation and persecution, where shortcuts are preferred over adherence to constitutional guarantees of human rights,” Sereno said in a speech at a Manila college.

Bangladesh Institute of Human Rights urges your prompt and urgent intervention on the continuous legal harassment against Bangladeshi lawyer, human rights defender and blogger Mr. Shahanur Islam, who is implicated with a false and fabricated criminal charge due to his constant battle against gross human rights violations as well as fighting to ensure constitutional recognition of LGBT rights in Bangladesh.

BIOGRAPHIC INFORMATION:

Name & Identity of the Victim : Mr. Shahanur Islam @ Saikot @ Dulal, Secretary General and Honorary Executive Director of Bangladesh Institute of Human Rights (BIHR). He is an enrolled as an Advocate under the Bangladesh Bar Council as well as is a member of district Bar Association Naogaon and Dhaka. He is also an International Member of Amnesty International and administrator of the online LGBT Bengali portal বৈচিত্র্য.বাংলা

In the course of his professional duties, he deals with many legal cases against perpetrators at court. He has also conducted many fact-finding missions on human rights violations as well as issued local and international urgent appeals requesting attention to concerned authorities. Due to his vital role for the protection and promotion of human rights and criminal justice in Bangladesh, he was the recipient of the Asia JusticeMakers Fellowship-2010, awarded by International Bridges to Justice (IBJ), Switzerland

Number and date of General Diary : Badalgachhi Police Station GD # 886, December 23, 2017

Number and date of the case :Badalgachhi Police Station Non-Government Register Prosecution # 1, January 29, 2018

Section : 427 & 506 under Penal Code of Bangladesh

Date of Issue Warrant of Arrest by Court : February 14, 2018

CASE DETAILS:

On December 23, 2018, Md. Jahurul Islam, Member of District Council, Naogaon as well as President of Jubodal (youth wing of Bangladesh Nationalish Party (BNP), Biashbari Union Branch, Badalgachhi Upazila, Naogaon intentionally made a false and fabricated allegation against Mr. Shahanur Islam @ Saikot @ Md. Dulal Hossain and others two member of his family. In his allegation Md. Jahurul Islam stated that on December 21, 2017 around at 6:00am Mr. Shahanur Islam and his other two family members intimidated him with death threats using deadly weapon after committing mischief and thereby causing damage to his crops, for an amount of 5000.00 taka.

After receiving the allegation, Badalgachhi Police Station, Naogaon registered a General Diary being Badalgachhi Police Station GD number 886, dated on December 23, 2017 against Mr. Shahanur Islam @ Saikot @ Md. Dulal Hossain and others two members of his family with a charge of mischief causing damage and criminal intimation to Md. Jahurul Islam.

Then on January 2, 2018, SM Jobayer Hossain, Sub-Inspector of Police, Badalgachhi Police Station, Naogaon prayed to the concern Senior Judicial Magistrate to investigate the issue. After obtaining permission, Mr. Hossain submitted the prosecution report being Non -Government Registered Prosecution Number 1/2018 against Mr. Shahanur Islam and his other two family members under section 427 & 506 of the Penal Code to the concerned court on January 29, 2018 through interconnecting and conspiracy with each of the perpetrators.

Then on February 4, 2018 the concerned court took the allegation in cognizance and issued the summons against Mr. Shahanur Islam and his two family members to present before the court on February 14, 2018 and asked the Badalgachhi Police Station to ensure the execution of Summon to Mr. Shahanur Islam and his others two family members.

Then on February 12, 2018, Md. Mahbubur Rahman, Assistnt Sub-Inspector of Police, Badalgachhi Police Station, Naogaon executed the summons forging the signature of Mr. Shahanur Islam and his other two family members through interconnecting and conspiracy with each of the perpetrators and submitted the report of Summons execution to the concerned court.

Then on February 13, 2018, the concerned court issued the Warrant of Arrest against Mr. Shahanur Islam and his other two family members. Then on February 22, 2018 Mr. Shahnur Islam voluntarily surrendered before the concerned court and the learned court granted him bail.

It is to be noted that Mr. Shahanur Islam was flying back from Dubai to Dhaka by Emirates Airlines Flight number EK 0582 at the date and time of the alleged offence.

BIHR FINDINGS:

This is not an isolated instance of such kind of legal harassment on lawyers, human rights defenders and bloggers in Bangladesh. It is a very common phenomenon for professionals like lawyers, human rights defenders and bloggers of Bangladesh to face attacks, harassment, ill treatment, death threats from members of political parties, terrorist threats and attacks from law-enforcement agencies and security forces. It is well known that Bangladesh has cultivated one of the leading cultures of impunity to alleged perpetrators of human rights abuses. Instead of improving the country’s human rights record the government of Bangladesh has paved the way to attack the rights of citizens through various means of violations.

RECOMENDATIONS:

BIHR strongly urges the authorities to take the issue of legal harassment made against Mr Islam seriously and to fully and immediately investigate this recent incident of legal harassment made against Mr. Shahanur Islam, the result of which must be made public, in order to identify all those responsible, bring them before a competent, independent and impartial tribunal and apply to them the penal sanctions provided by the law;

Take all necessary measures to guarantee, in all circumstances, the physical and psychological integrity, safety and well-being of Mr. Shahanur Islam;

Put an end to all acts of harassment against Mr. Shahanur Islam as well as against all human rights defenders in Bangladesh;

Guarantee the respect of human rights and fundamental freedoms in accordance with the Universal Declaration on Human Rights and other international human rights instruments ratified by Bangladesh.

SUGGESTED ACTION:

Please write letters to the relevant authorities to investigate this alleged incident of violence ensuring the security of the Mr. Shahanur Islam and his family. We trust that you will take immediate action regarding this serious matter and look forward to your favorable response.

Former president and 11 others face charges they helped Iranians hide role in 1994 terror attack on Jewish center that killed 85

Former President Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner will face trial on charges she covered up the role of Iranians in a 1994 terrorist bombing at a Jewish center in Argentina’s capital, judicial authorities announced Monday.

Eleven other former officials and people close to Kirchner’s government will also be tried on charges of cover-up and abuse of power, Federal Judge Claudio Bonadio said in a ruling released by Argentina’s official CIJ Judicial Information Center.

The trial date has not been set.

So far, four of the accused have been detained. In December, Bonadio asked lawmakers to remove Kirchner’s immunity from prosecution, which she gained last year when she was sworn in as a senator. Legislators have not acted on the request. The immunity protects her from being arrested, but she can still be tried.

Kirchner, who was president in 2007-2015, denies any wrongdoing or involvement in any cover-up involving Argentina’s worst terror attack. The 1994 bombing of the Argentine Israelite Mutual Association center in Buenos Aires in Buenos Aires killed 85 people and wounded hundreds. Iran denies any involvement.

The judge backed an assertion against Kirchner made on January 14, 2015, by Alberto Nisman, a prosecutor who was investigating the case. Nisman said the 2013 agreement that Kirchner’s government made with Iran in exchange for favorable deals on oil and other goods ensured that Iranian officials involved in the attack would escape prosecution.

Nisman was found dead in his apartment with a bullet wound in his right temple four days later. His case remains unsolved. But last year, an investigation by Argentina’s border police agency concluded that Nisman was murdered, contradicting earlier official findings that Nisman likely killed himself.

The International Bar Association’s Human Rights Institute (IBAHRI) is gravely concerned by the case brought against Kyrgyz lawyer Taalaigul Toktakunova, by the General Prosecutor of the Kyrgyz Republic, that appear to align her with charges laid against one of her clients. The charges revolve around perceived attacks on the honour of former President of the Kyrgyz Republic, Almazbek Sharshenovich. Consequently, Ms Toktakunova has been made to pay compensation, and has had her property and assets confiscated.

IBAHRI Co-Chair Ambassador (ret.) Hans Corell commented: ‘The IBAHRI calls on the government of Kyrgyzstan to take all possible measures to ensure that lawyers can carry out their legitimate professional activities without fear of intimidation, harassment or interference, in accordance with international human rights standards. For the rule of law to prosper, it is essential that individuals in Kyrgyzstan, regardless of their political affiliations, be given equal access to legal representation, and that lawyers are not associated with their clients. Lawyers should be free to defend any individual before a court of law.’

In March 2017, the General Prosecutor of Kyrgyzstan made a claim against Ms Toktakunova and her colleague Kanatbek Aziz, among others, based around alleged attacks on the reputation of then President Sharshenovich. The claim came after Ms Toktakunova, a lawyer for the political party Ata Meken, held a press conference regarding the arrest of her client, opposition party leader Omurbek Tekebayev. During the press conference, Ms Toktakunova and her colleague stated that the criminal case against Mr Tekebayev was unlawfully initiated, and that he was arrested due to confidential information he had obtained in relation to illegal activity in which President Sharshenovich had allegedly engaged.

Authorities in the Chinese capital look set to revoke the business license of the Beijing Fengrui law firm, the focus of an ongoing operation targeting human rights lawyers and activist that began with raids on its partners in July 2015.

In a “Notice of Administrative Penalty Hearing” sent to the firm on Monday, the Beijing municipal department of justice said Fengrui is suspected of having breached regulations governing law firms “to a serious degree.”

“Our investigations have revealed that your law firm has been negligent in managing its lawyers, and has connived to harbor and protect lawyers engaged in illegal activities,” the notice says.

It cited the subversion case against former Fengrui head Zhou Shifeng, currently serving a seven-year jail term for “subversion of state power,” and the campaigning activities of rights activist Wu Gan, known by his online nickname “The Butcher,” who was allegedly “instructed” by Zhou.

Under Zhou’s direction, Fengrui took on sensitive cases, defending dissidents, members of the banned and persecuted Falun Gong spiritual sect and others who challenged the authorities.

The firm was the first target of police raids and detentions in July 2015 that broadened into a nationwide operation targeting more than 300 lawyers, law firm staff and associated rights activists for detention, professional sanctions, house arrest and travel bans—including for family members.

The trial of Turkish journalist Hidayet Karaca (55) has already taken its place in judicial history because not only has he been persecuted by the Turkish government led by autocratic President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan but also both his lawyers and the judges who ruled to release him from jail have been imprisoned.

Hidayet Karaca, Ph.D., is an experienced Turkish broadcaster who also served as chairman of the board of directors of number of media associations such as Television Broadcasters Association and Television Audience Measurement (TİAK) in Turkey for years. After working as the bureau chief of the Zaman daily in İzmir and Ankara provinces, he was transferred to the Samanyolu Broadcasting Group in 1999 and served as Executive Director of the group for 17 years.

However, he was taken under custody by the police officers, who raided the television where he was in charge on December 14, 2014. He has been deprived of his freedom for about 4 years. Karaca was sentenced to 31 years of imprisonment in a trial. He has also been tried for another another case with almost the same accusations. This time aggravated life sentence has been demanded for him.

“I am defending myself under very difficult circumstances. Some of my lawyers have left, some of them were arrested. I could not even find a lawyer to write a petition for me,” said Hidayet Karaca during a hearing at a Turkish court where he was tried in August 2016.